Adoption / Guardianship

About the Unit
Scott County provides adoption services for families, or individuals, wanting to adopt children who are currently in the foster care system. The goal of the Adoption/Guardianship Unit is to ensure that all Scott County children whose parents’ rights were terminated are placed in a permanent adoptive home in a timely manner.

Program Process
The adoption program is based on the practice of Concurrent Planning for children in foster care. Concurrent Planning consists of having 2plans for a child when he/she enters the foster care system:

The first plan is reunification with birth parents.

The second plan is a permanent home that includes adoption or a transfer of legal custody.

Interested Adoption Parents
We ask families who are interested in adoption to become foster care providers and work with the agency as a resource family. For children who are not placed with a resource family and are in need of an adoptive home, we work with agencies through the Public/Private Initiative.

Ongoing Case Management
All children placed for adoption receive ongoing case management until finalization. Services are coordinated to ensure children’s needs are met and families are prepared for adoption. We work with the Department of Human Services to ensure children and families are aware of and are receiving all services available to them including the State Adoption Assistance program.

Community Partners
The Public/Private
Initiative is a collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Human
Services, County social service agencies, and private adoption agencies
committed to identifying adoptive families for children under state
guardianship. Recruitment tools such as the Minnesota’s Waiting
Children’s Book, Thursday's Child, and child specific recruitment
efforts are used to locate possible adoptive homes for state wards.

Post-Adoption Services
Scott County also offers post-adoption services to adults who have been placed through Scott County Health and Human Services or birth parents who have made adoption plans through the department. Post-adoption services include searching for birth family members and sharing information about the adoption.